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| eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings - June 18, 2010 |
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Today marks the June release of the eKartingNews.com Driver Rankings. Nearly to the halfway mark on the 2010 calendar, the standings in both the TaG and Stock Moto are starting to reflect more of who is standing out in the 2010 season. While the last 12-months of results are counted toward the EKN Driver Rankings, the top spot remains unchanged thanks to a strong second half of 2009 for the top two drivers.
In TaG, Canadian and EKN Driver of the Year for 2009 Marco DiLeo (Intrepid) retains his spot at the top of the standings. The 2009 WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series TaG champion went on a roll during the final part of 2009, beginning in July at Road America. With DiLeo not competing in the United States in 2010, it will be interesting to see how he ends up in the coming months. Jumping up to the second spot is Victor Pedrosa (Arrow). The talented Rotax driver used his top-five results at the recent Rotax Pan American Challenge Series event at New Castle to advance up two spots, and now sits just seven points off DiLeo’s mark. Certainly a solid performance at the Rotax Grand Nationals could put him to the number one spot.
Second last month, Senior rookie Taylor Miinch (Top Kart) drops to third with no additional races over the last four weeks. Same is the case for Kyle Wiegand (Top Kart) as he is just two points off of Miinch score to put the top four within 47 points. Unchanged in the fifth spot is Dan Wheldon (Arrow) who is busy with his day-time job, piloting his National Guard IndyCar machine. His next karting event is not yet confirmed with some schedule conflicts to be worked out.
The big mover of the top-10 is Daniel Formal. The young Florida star jumped up the order thanks to his two top-10 finishes at New Castle last weekend, driving a new Kosmic chassis. Unchanged in seventh and eighth are Michele Bumgarner (Margay) - the two-time Rock Island Grand Prix TaG Senior champion - and international driver Kenneth Hildebrand who has yet to hit the track since the winter months. Down three spots is current WSK North American Series TaG championship leader Neil Alberico (Wild Kart), who saw his win streak end on Sunday in Phoenix last month. Rounding out the top-10 is Pacific Northwest star Stepanova Nekeel (Vemme) with strong showings at the SKUSA SpringNationals and Rotax Pan American Challenge thus far.
The first four positions in the Stock Moto rankings remains unchanged with Tyler Bennett (PTK), Jason Toft (GP), Clinton Schoombee (CRG) and Tommy Thompson (Energy) unable to improve their score in the last four weeks. Despite Toft scoring his first win this year at the ProKart Challenge North program, he was unable to gain anything on Bennett. Second through fourth will have the advantage however next month as they should score more points thanks to their participation at the SKUSA SummerNationals, where Bennett will still sit on his 2009 results and regional action in Utah.
Jumping up to fifth is Central States Challenge competitor Derek Crockett (GP). He move ahead of former number one Jacob Neal (CRG), who is taking a break from racing to continue his education. Colby Yardley (Birel), Keenan Schmitke (CRG), and Brad Dunford (CRG) move up one spot with the falling of Matt Zeis (Wild Kart), another young driver looking to focus on his studies at the University of Missouri. Eddie Olpin (Kosmic) move two spots to tenth to put four Utah drivers into the top-10, thanks to all regionals in 2009 having a base ranking of 9.
TaG
TaG Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos. | 21-May | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Marco DiLeo | 15 | 6961 | | 2. | 4 | 2 | Victor Pedrosa | 19 | 6954 | | 3. | 2 | -1 | Taylor Miinch | 14 | 6916 | | 4. | 3 | -1 | Kyle Wiegand | 10 | 6914 | | 5. | 5 | NC | Dan Wheldon | 13 | 6843 | | 6. | 18 | 12 | Daniel Formal | 13 | 6813 | | 7. | 7 | NC | Michele Bumgarner | 9 | 6812 | | 8. | 8 | NC | Kenneth Hildebrand | 14 | 6792 | | 9. | 6 | -3 | Neil Alberico | 13 | 6757 | | 10. | 11 | 1 | Stepanova Nekeel | 14 | 6743 | |
For the full TaG Driver Rankings, Click Here.
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 | Marco DiLeo
(Photo: Autosports Media) |
TaG #1 - Marco DiLeo
Markham, Ontario, Canada
Certainly the absence of the 2009 Driver of the Year and WKA Manufacturer’s Cup champion this season has not affected his rankings position as of yet. The Goodwood Kartways/Intrepid Canada driver has focused his attention to the racing north of the border following his journey through the Florida Winter Tour in January to March. With his results dropped every month, it will be interesting to see who takes over as the new number and when it will happen.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Road America #1 | 9 | 3 | 985 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Road America #2 | 9 | 2 | 995 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - New Castle #1 | 9 | 1 | 1006 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Lowe’s #1 | 9 | 1 | 999 | | WKA Man. Cup Series ’09 - Lowe’s #2 | 9 | 2 | 989 | | Florida Winter Tour ’10 - Rotax #2 | 9 | 4 | 984 | | Florida Winter Tour ’10 - Rotax #5 | 9 | 3 | 1003 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 2.29
Average Points: 994.4
Total Points: 6961
**************
 | Sam Beasley
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
ON THE MOVE: Sam Beasley - Ranked #28
Leroy, Ohio
Taking advantage of his age (15), the 2009 WKA Triple Crown Club member is getting the most out of the 2010 season. While competing his final season in the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series as a Junior driver, Beasley has promoted himself to Senior action in the Florida Winter Tour and now the US Rotax Max Challenge. Strong results in the winter added to his fourth and first this past weekend at the Rotax Pan American Challenge boosted the Beasley Motorsports/Arrow Karts driver up the rankings to be this month’s On the Move.
Point Breakdown
| Florida Winter Tour ’10 - IAME #3 | 8 | 3 | 846| Florida Winter Tour ’10 - IAME #4 | 8 | 3 | 847 | | Florida Winter Tour ’10 - Rotax #6 | 9 | 1 | 1023 | | Florida Winter Tour ’10 - IAME #5 | 8 | 4 | 854 | | Florida Winter Tour ’10 - IAME #6 | 8 | 3 | 863 | | Rotax Pan Am ’10 - New Castle #1 | 9 | 4 | 975 | | Rotax Pan Am ’10 - New Castle #2 | 9 | 1 | 1005 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 2.71
Average Points: 916.1
Total Points: 6413
Stock Moto
Stock Moto Driver Rankings Top-10
| Pos | 21-May | Plus/Minus | Driver | Races | Score| 1. | 1 | NC | Tyler Bennett | 11 | 6195 | | 2. | 2 | NC | Jason Toft | 9 | 6148 | | 3. | 3 | NC | Clinton Schoombee | 9 | 6107 | | 4. | 4 | NC | Tommy Thompson | 13 | 5982 | | 5. | 6 | 1 | Derek Crockett | 9 | 5966 | | 6. | 5 | -1 | Jacob Neal | 6 | 5938 | | 7. | 8 | 1 | Colby Yardley | 11 | 5912 | | 8. | 9 | 1 | Keenan Schmitke | 8 | 5899 | | 9. | 10 | 1 | Brad Dunford | 15 | 5879 | | 10. | 12 | 2 | Eddie Olpin | 8 | 5834 | |
For the full Stock Moto Driver Rankings, Click Here.
**************
 | Tyler Bennett
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Stock Moto #1 - Tyler Bennett
Layton, Utah
The season is just getting underway for reigning Stock Moto number one driver Tyler Bennett. With the first two rounds of the Utah State Championship program in the books, the Msquared/PTK driver is looking to continue the success he found in 2009. One thing missing from his resume however is a SKUSA SuperNationals victory. After a stellar performance last year, he came up just short. Bennett is now looking to make sure 2010 is his year.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| Utah State Champ. ’09 #6 | 9 | 3 | 993 | | Utah State Champ. ’09 #7 | 9 | 2 | 1009 | | Utah State Champ. ’09 #8 | 9 | 1 | 1027 | | Utah State Champ. ’09 #9 | 9 | 2 | 1008 | | Utah State Champ. ’09 #10 | 9 | 1 | 1014 | | SKUSA SuperNationals 2009 | 10 | 3 | 1144 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 2
Average Points: 1032.5
Total Points: 6195
**************
 | Fritz Leesmann
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
ON THE MOVE: Fritz Leesmann - Ranked #14
Elk Grove, California
Certainly known from the ICC Driver Rankings, ‘Fritzer’ is making his way up the standings in Stock Moto. The Aluminos driver coach/tuner made his Stock Moto debut early this season with a victory. Following that, he won the opening round of the SKUSA Pro Tour at his home track and now leads the championship heading to the SummerNationals in July. With two solid results there, it would be no surprise to find Leesmann’s name near the top of the standings.
Point Breakdown
| Race | Rank | Finish | Points| ProKart Chall. North #1 - S1 | 8.5 | 1 | 916 | | ProKart Chall. North #2 - S1 | 8.5 | 7 | 861 | | SKUSA SpringNationals #1 - S1 | 9.5 | 1 | 1054 | | SKUSA SpringNationals #2 - S1 | 9.5 | 2 | 1037 | | ProKart Chall. North #3 - S1 | 8.5 | 2 | 964 | | ProKart Chall. North #4 - S1 | 8.5 | 2 | 944 | |
Inside the Stats
Average Finish: 2.5
Average Points: 962.7
Total Points: 5776
EKN Driver Rankings Calculation Process
The EKN Driver Rankings are calculated using a driver’s best finishes in major North American races. Assembled using events from the previous 12 months from the current date, we use a driver’s best seven finishes in TaG and six in Stock Moto to determine their overall current point total. With each new release, results posted from more than one year ago are discarded. To deliver our ranking list, we tabulate the results of all the WSK North American Series, Superkarts! USA Pro Tour, Rotax Pan American Challenge and other national programs and events, as well as other regional programs. We have also included the results for the major one-off events such as the SKUSA SuperNationals, the Rock Island Grand Prix and the US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals.
Each race is initially weighted based on the prestige and history of the event or series with a score of ten (10) being the highest attainable base ranking. For 2010, the SKUSA SuperNationals, US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals and the Rock Island Grand Prix receive a score of 10 in their initial weighting in the TaG category while the SuperNats is the lone event in the Stock Moto division. The WSK North American Series, SKUSA Pro Tour, and Rotax Pan American Challenge national series events draw a base ranking of nine (9), while the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup, Florida Winter Tour, Challenge of the Americas, IKF 2-Cycle Sprint Grand Nationals and other regional program races were given a base ranking of either eight (8) or nine (9).
The EKN staff reserves the right to adjust the rankings of each event throughout the year. New for 2010 is a minimum entry total for any events considered for the Driver Rankings program. If an event does not have at least five (5) drivers starting the race, those results will not be tabulated toward the Driver Rankings.
Added to these initial rankings are two variables that help confirm the true importance of an event to the ranking process – field size and field strength. A percentage of one weighting point is added for the size of the field, while the number of existing top 50 drivers entered offers another full point or fraction of a point. The sum of these numbers becomes the overall ranking for any race. Following a race, drivers receive points based on their finishing positions with 100 points earned for a win. Each subsequent position drops by one point with 99 points given to the second place driver and so on throughout the field. These points are then multiplied by the overall ranking to produce a driver’s final point total from each event. Using a driver’s best seven races in TaG, six for Stock Moto, we calculate each driver’s overall score and subsequent ranking.
For the complete 2010 EKN Driver Rankings schedule, click HERE. |
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